My brother's keeper
by PlayLifeLiveGames
Summary: Becoming an Earl is harder than Alois thought, and creating a contract with a demon might be harder then it originally seemed.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter one, a lawyer came to Trancy

Mr. Harry Crawley was a country Solicitor of well renown in the sleepy village of Scarwich and its neighboring town of Banbury. He was quite liked by the locals in Scarwich and had been known to go leaps and bounds in the service of his clients and his practise had the distinction of representing nearly everyone in the county. Mr. Crawley also was known to have the pleasure of representing an Earl as well.

Although were one to ask him he would certainly not think of the Earl Trancy as pleasurable company; he was wealthy and of the nobility, however his was not a reputation that inspired joy in others. He was a rude, pompous, lecherous, old man made sour by years of drink and his penchant for perversion.

However it was to this client in particular that Mr. Crawley was making his journey now. Clutching the brim of his hat tightly in one hand he carefully adjusted his hair with the other, anxiously attempting to assuage his nervousness. He wasn't called to the Trancy estate often and he was paid exceedingly well each time he was, but it was an experience that a decent man such as himself would rather avoid.

Returning his hat to his head he promptly leaned towards the window of his carriage to observe the Earl`s grounds; there were rose bushes and hedges, trees and flower beds, all arranged and kempt in a most beautiful and English fashion. The sight of the greenery did have a slight relieving effect; however the sight of them upon departure would be much more calming.

As the carriage turned to face the Trancy manor Mr. Crawley steeled himself for the experience that lay ahead, after straightening his waistcoat and collecting his satchel the Solicitor slowly descended from his carriage.

There were several servants waiting outside the entrance to the manor, foremost among them; the butler, stepped forward to give a polite bow to Mr. Crawley. The others gave curt bows before tending to Mr. Crawley's carriage and Chauffer.

"Good afternoon Mr. Crawley, my Lord will be most pleased that you have arrived at such short notice."

Mr. Crawley nodded, "Anything for his Lordship"

The butler bowed his head in acknowledgement and motioned his hand towards the open doors.

"Please do come in Sir and make yourself comfortable, refreshments and tea have been set in the drawing room."

Mr. Crawley entered the spacious foyer and removed his hat and coat; promptly a footman stepped forward to receive both articles. Looking around the room Mr. Crawley couldn't help but show his surprise at not seeing the Earl.

Turning towards the butler Harry voiced his surprise, "I had assumed that Earl Trancy would be here?"

The butler answered immediately and with a twinge of dissatisfaction,

"His Lordship is currently in the billiards room, I shall inform him of your arrival now. James, one of our footmen, will show you to the drawing room." The servant who had previously taken Mr. Crawley's hat and coat returned into view and gave a curt bow of his head.

The butler then made his way to towards the staircase, before disappearing from view the butler called back to Harry. "His lordship shall be joining you soon Mr. Crawley."

Harry nodded and was then led by the footman towards the smell of tea and fresh pastries.

After receiving his tea and choosing a few delicious confectionaries Harry allowed himself to relax. _Perhaps this will not be as bad as you think Harry, and just remember it's a consultation on inheritance._

Upstairs in his study the Lord Earl Trancy smoked a petulant cigar and drank a large glass of brandy while he counted a trunk full of bank notes when he heard a knock upon his door.

He immediately growled and barked, "Didn't I tell you fools not to bother me until that solicitor arrived!"

The butler spoke through the door, "My lord, that is why I-"

"Wait! That means, he's here!" placing his brandy on his desk and depositing his cigar in an ashtray the Earl straightened his cravat and jumped from his chair, opening the door he nearly flattened his butler.

Holding his nose the butler stifled a pained yelp.

Shaking his head the Earl spoke with contempt, "If you are to be any butler of mine you ought to look livelier."

The butler nodded emphatically, "As you say, sir."

"Now where is he?"

The butler promptly reminded the Earl where they decided to receive the lawyer.

"My lord I have directed him to the drawing room, as you ordered. He is currently awaiting you there."

The Earl nodded and began walking down the hall towards the stairs.

"Where is Alois?"

The butler grew quiet, your Lordships _son_ is on the grounds, and I believe he is at lesson near the stables."

The way the butler forced the word _son_ was hard, unnatural, and awkward. The Earl however did not seem to notice and instead looked wistfully towards the windows hoping to catch a glimpse of the boy from where he stood on the staircase. He made an audible sigh, before snapping back to walking down the stairs.

"What was I going to discuss with the solicitor again?"

The butler reminded the Earl quickly as they came to the bottom of the step and began crossing the foyer.

"I believe it was your legal estate and the issue of your peerage. The will sir, and your bro-"

"Yes! I know all about what my brother thinks, but he can go bugger a tree for all I care! Him and that tart wife of his."

The Earl chuckled, "That bastard was positively giddy when my boy went missing yes he was!"

The butler furrowed his brow as he kept a close pace to the Earl's.

"Well now I've got my son again! And I'll be damned before I let him have my title or the estate."

The butler nodded, "As you say sir."

"My Lord, I must also remind you, I have received several more resignation letters this morning, we'll need to allocate more towards keeping them quiet. About the" He paused, and cleared his throat, quickly.

"About your dolls my Lord, they-"

"Bah! Shut up go and prattle elsewhere! Spare my ears and person of your presence!"

The butler stopped and bowed, "Yes my lord."

He then scurried off towards the servant's corridor.

Earl Trancy scoffed and then opened the doors to the drawing room to see Alois sitting across from the Solicitor. Alois was still wearing his deep blue riding coat and his white trousers were speckled heavily with mud and brush stains.

"Oh Father!" Alois jumped out of his chair and ran towards the Earl. Wrapping his arms around the elder lord the Earl couldn't help but laugh as he held the boy aloft in his arms.

Sitting up from his couch Mr. Crawley sported a most shocked expression as he spoke loudly, "My lord! Are you quite alright?"

"I'm just fine!" The Earl announced. His voice and tone were utterly different from how he sounded just a few moments ago.

Alois laughed as the Earl spun with him in his arms, he did so with a grace and ease deceptive to his age and visual lack of fitness. They did two quick rotations before the Earl placed Alois back down.

"Oh father I was just telling Mr. Crawley all about _Illusion_ and how fun riding was today! You should have seen how well I was doing, Mr. Leister was most impressed."

The Earl nodded, "That's very good my boy! However Mr. Crawley and I must speak business together alright? So go run along and be a sweet boy back outside."

Alois pouted his lip and furrowed his brow disappointed at being sent away, "Yes _Father_ I will." Turning back towards the Solicitor, Alois bowed. "It was a pleasure meeting and speaking with you Mr. Crawley"

Alois then turned and hopped out of the room giggling as he did so.

Earl Trancy looked on as the boy skipped down the hallway and towards the foyer. His greedy eyes were fixed upon the young lad until he had disappeared from view.

Mr. Crawley finished his tea and placed his cup and saucer on the nearest table before walking towards the Earl and extending his hand to the Earl's.

"How are you Harry?" the Earl loudly exclaimed as they shook hands.

"Very well, your Lordship."

The Earl took his seat in a large lounge chair and directed Harry to do the same.

"Good, good. Now you've met my boy, I trust he was polite and well mannered?"

Mr. Crawley nodded, "Yes very much so sir, he is quite a bright young lad."

The Earl nodded, as he mumbled to himself.

"Well, he is actually why I asked you here today."

Mr. Crawley leaned forward with a degree of concern on his brow, "Oh, how's that sir?"

"I would like to draw up a new will, and I'd like to rewrite my issue. I trust you have the associated documents?"

Mr. Crawley leaned to his side and opened his satchel, "I think I may have a few of what we need my Lord."

The Earl nodded, "good, I'd like to have this done and put into effect immediately, now here's what I'd like it to read."

To the side of the hall a lone figure stood in an alcove and listened intently upon the Earl and the solicitor, with a sly grin across his face.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two, a step up the ladder

Alois was standing in the salon of the Trancy manor watching from its great window as the solicitor Mr. Crawley boarded his carriage. In his chest he couldn't help but feel glee as he saw the horses depart the grounds and make their way down the lane. He was that much closer to complete freedom.

With their business concluded Alois assumed Mr. Crawley would then head to London within the week to correspond with the Royal legal office and have the signed documents and will of Lord Trancy ratified and made legal. All of this had been carefully set into motion by the young boy.

Alois could not help but giggle to himself while he thought aloud; "I can't even believe the old bastard did it. Ha!"

Being the Earl's favourite amongst his dolls had given Alois a much larger degree of freedom to explore the manor, and the first place he began to visit was the manors' extensive library. Among the poetry and extensive classics that the Earl owned, he also possessed an up to date book on United Kingdom law, the section on inheritance was dog-eared and read over many-a-time by Alois.

After figuring out the legality and the possibility of Alois inheriting the Earldom was easy, persuading the Earl to call him his son was easy too, making the Earl believe it and to slowly slide into the role as the Earls son was not easy.

It took several months of agony, debauchery, and the most heinous and demeaning of acts but Alois had accomplished what he sought to do, he didn't let the Earl break him, the spider wasn't able to entangle him. He had the Earl in the palm of his hand and soon, he wouldn't have to spend another night in the old man's bed.

"Then…" He thought, "Then I'll be able to have revenge."

Turning from the salon window Alois made his way through the room and back towards the foyer. Coming to the railing he slowly and noiselessly peered over the edge. Below he could hear the doors of the manor close and the loud voice of the Earl became clearer as he made his way into the centre of the room flanked by his butler and the housekeeper. Alois couldn't make out what they were discussing, and he frankly didn't care. Now that the solicitor had been sent off, and the documents bore the Earls' signature, there was nothing that posed a threat to Alois' plot.

Looking over the railing at the Earl and his small entourage Alois couldn't help but raise his nose as his gaze displayed his utter disgust and contempt for the Earl. The small group passed through towards the drawing room and out of Alois' view. He scoffed slightly and began walking towards the staircase.

As he made his way through the Manor the few maids and footmen he encountered along the way each curtsied and bowed, their eyes averted from Alois. Stopping mid-stride he turned towards the nearest footman.

"I'm taking Illusion and I'll be riding out to the eastern glade, should father wonder where I've gone."

The footman nodded and bowed, courteously speaking before Alois resumed his stride. "Yes Master Trancy."

However he furrowed his brow and stopped once again, the heavy sound of his heels on the marble floor echoed like a sounding bell. Turning his eyes caught the footman looking rather puzzled and expectant towards him.

"I-is something wrong my lord?"

Alois ignored his question as he quickly walked right into the footman's person, bringing his head up as close as was physically permissible to the footman's he preceded to look him all over, before eventually stopping to stare right into the footman's eyes. Alois furrowed his brow and he began narrowing his eyes.

"You're new aren't you?"

The footman nodded as he responded.

"Yes, young Master Trancy, I-"

Alois closed his eyes and raised his hand to cut him off.

"What is your name?"

The footman responded with a twinge of uneasiness, "its Gregory, Sir."

Alois gave a curt _humph_ before turning around quickly and making his way across the foyer. Raising his hand to give a backwards wave to the man he began to speak as if nothing strange had transpired.

"Well! Don't forget where I've gone now Gregory!"

The footman looked on in utter bewilderment before turning to the maids across from him. They both locked his eyes and shook their heads from side to side.

Alois opened the doors to the outside and breathed a deep satisfying air he had not known in a long time. He was, for the moment, happy. And he didn't have to act, for the brief stroll from the manor across the grounds to the stables he allowed an honest expression of satisfaction to cover his face. He wasn't acting, and he wasn't lying. He did neither for himself or others right at that brief moment.

The Lord Trancy's father was an avid fan of the derby and was keen on investing a large amount of his money into not only owning fine racing horses but also in the much more lucrative venture of breeding and letting them out. In fact while the previous Lord was alive he even lent The Queen a few of her first horses while she was still but a princess. This was one of the many ways that the Trancy family had the disposable income necessary to fulfill not only their sordid position as the Queen's Spider, but also the current Earl's habit of consistently hiring and firing staff in order to cover up and hide his even more grievous habit.

At present the Earl's stables have sixty seven prize winning well-bred horses, and the most valuable, the most expensive, and holder of the highest pedigree was a Thoroughbred named Illusion. It was almost pure black and stood eighteen hands high at the shoulder. The last estimate that was made as to his value sat at thirty thousand pounds sterling. The jewel of the Earl's stable had been given as a gift to Alois just two weeks after his miraculous return to the Earl.

The gravel of the grounds gave way to the soft mud of the stable path and Alois' expression soured. He whistled for the attention of the stable master and the gruff old man made his way towards the young master.

"Did you keep the horse saddled like I asked?"

The man was rubbing mud off his hands with a damp cloth as he stared the boy down.

"Aye, I di', bu' like I sa'd tha' 'orse is gonna brea' you're little bones if you don' respect 't."

Alois turned up his nose and shook his head as he spoke, "That ghastly accent is awful. Where on are earth are you from."

The stable master furrowed his large eyebrows and snarled his mouth.

"I'm from Edinburgh! An' I wa' the stable masta to the Duke long b'fore ya left your dad's balls ya little shite."

Alois smirked slightly, "I like you old man."

The stable master's expression changed to that of utter puzzlement.

"Jus' get on tha' 'orse and out of me sight ya noble brat."

Alois turned to the horse stalls and began walking towards Illusion's while he muttered under his breath.

"With pleasure."

Using a stool to saddle the horse Alois, settled himself and gave Illusion a light kick, and with that he was off. Exiting the stable yard onto the green Alois nearly knocked the stable master over, eliciting curses and even more unintelligible Scottish rambling from the gruff old man. Alois looked back and began howling with high pitched laughter.

The thunder of the hooves on the grass echoed over the grounds and alerted the nearby birds to flight as horse and rider bounded across the eastern glade and towards the thicket just on the edge of the eastern woods.

Now the truest test was to come.

 _Come back to me when you have thought of a wish._

"Hoheo Taralna, Rondero Tarel."

The words were foreign and strange in Alois' mouth, and they burned his tongue as he spoke them. In his chest his breathing became heavy, just like the first time he spoke them. His arms began to weigh heavier then they ought to. And he quickly looked down in a panic; his hands began losing their grip on Illusions reigns. His legs ceased moving with the horses' body, his whole body began seizing up and ceased moving.

"What! What's happening to me?"

Illusions reigns had now fell out of Alois' motionless hands and the horse quickly became skittish, it began howling and yelping loudly. And it then started to buck. Alois' eyes grew wide with terror. But he couldn't move. His chest and arms felt wrapped and constrained by an invisible force. His legs felt like stone and refused to move either. And there was something coming towards the horse and rider.

Illusion bucked and kicked at air, and eventually threw Alois from his saddle. Immediately he closed his eyes and braced for the hard of the ground.

It hit him, but it did not hurt. In fact he could feel no pain. He felt light, and his limbs felt like they were almost dancing off the surface of water. However it was only after opening his eyes that Alois' relief at the lack of pain turned to absolute horror at the sight that surrounded him.

Silver spider webs had coated the world; and in each direction the webs covered the trees and grass. Skulls and bones were lodged here and there between the thick strands of dew covered silk. Above this dark scene the sun had been blacked out and the sky had turned a deep red and Alois was entangled in the center of an intricate web levitating just above the ground.

The air smelt like copper, and rot, and death, and bearing down on Alois, suspended from an unseen perch, was a spider, double the size of Illusion.

Its many yellow eyes were transfixed on the boy as its mangled and horrid mouth contorted to speak in human words.

" _Do you have a wish this time?"_

Alois' terror nearly stopped him from speaking, but he held his breath and forced out the words.

"I do."

The spider smiled, and began clambering closer to Alois' face.

Alois wanted to look away; he wanted to run, to scream, to cry even. But he wouldn't he wouldn't give in to the old man and he wouldn't give in now either.

"I want revenge."

The spider nodded.

"And I want you to serve me."

The spider's smile faded. And the world's light began to vanish as the spider slicked back up its thread. Alois furrowed his brow and grew irate.

"Wait! Where are you going!"

The spider had now disappeared from view and Alois attempted to turn his head to see where the demon had gone, but the darkness began getting closer. Immediately panic began to well and surge through Alois' stomach.

"Wait spider! Please, I don't like the dark. Demon! Spider! Please don't!"

Alois began losing his composure, and wanted to scream, it was now so dark the difference between eyes open and eyes shut was non-existent.

He was just about to release a scream involuntarily when he heard a bird chirp upon the wind and the whinny of a nearby horse. He then felt the grass in his hair and on his back. Opening his eyes puzzled he looked at the nearby horse whinny.

Standing beside Illusion petting the horses' neck was a handsome, imposing man with black hair and spectacles. His eyes were the most brilliant gold Alois had ever seen and had an almost entrancing effect. His voice was deep and his accent was incredibly well refined.

When he locked eyes with Alois the boy's heart and breath stopped for a moment.

"Before we create any kind of a contract, I'll need a sacrifice."

Alois furrowed his brow, and shook his head in confusion.

"What in the bloody hell was that just a moment earlier?!"

The man slightly raised an eyebrow.

"I had to find out whether or not your cause was genuine." He blinked and adjusted his spectacles. "The first time we met was a fluke, you said the words and I sensed a potential meal."

Alois shuddered slightly at the calmness his voice.

"This time I had to find out whether or not you had a wish. And I needed to know if you were dedicated enough to seeing it through to endure spending time in my realm."

Alois raised his chin and looked over his nose at the demon.

"And? Did I pass."

In a sentence devoid of additional inflection or emphasis he responded.

"With flying colours."

Alois expression changed to one of unease.

"What do you mean sacrifice?"

The demon looked at the horse and rubbed his hands along its neck again before responding.

"A human sacrifice is required to sign a contract, that is it and non-negotiable."

Alois looked down as he thought; _the old man._

"Does it matter who I give you?"

The demon shook his head and looked back at the boy.

"Not at all."


End file.
